


Adagio

by PetalsToFish



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Ballet, Dancing, F/M, Fluff and Humor, actually mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2020-02-27 00:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetalsToFish/pseuds/PetalsToFish
Summary: In ballet, an adagio is a succession of slow continuous movements meant to create the illusion that the dance positions flow from one position into another effortlessly.





	Adagio

**Author's Note:**

> This was a requested prompt in 2017.

 

_In ballet, an adagio ( **uh da zhe-o** ) is a succession of slow, soft, lyrical and continuous movements. _

It was while at his brother's class at the Potter Contemporary Dance Studio that James first saw the lovely red haired ballerina. She was dressed warmly in thick tights, a woolen company jacket embroidered with pink ballet slippers, and furry boots. Red hair stuck out of a purple knit hat, the red strands matching the blush from the cold wind on her cheeks. James was in the back of the class (Sirius refused to let him at the front claiming it was nepotism) and kept getting flashes of her as she posted the flyer at the front of the classroom. If Sirius spotted her, he made no motion to say hello. She turned to face the group of dancers with grace and James felt a whooshing in his stomach when he saw her smile at the other girl she'd come in with.

The ballerina's green eyes glanced once more around the classroom and finally landed on James for a few seconds. She offered him a smile before she and her brunette friend left the dance room. James tripped slightly, catching himself and fixing his movements from unyielding to flowing. Sirius shouted at James not to miss his steps and James allowed himself to focus on his ending rotation just to keep Sirius off his arse.

As soon as the music was off and Sirius' class was dismissed, James quietly walked over to where the girl had stood taping a poster to Sirius' wall of motivation. It was covered in various flyers, posters from Broadway musicals, and pictures of past students. James found the flyer right next to the picture of Sirius and James in their mum's production of _The Sound of Music_ when they were eight years old. James ripped the paper from the board and stared at it. Bright orange with a swan at the top, the flyer was promoting Levinstown Ballet's tryouts for _Swan Lake_.

"What were the bunheads doing in here?"

James craned his neck to see Sirius had finally noticed his brother's absence in the socializing happening behind the wall of motivation. Sirius had taken to the family theatrics business way more than James ever had, taking over the dance studio after their mum had passed away. Sirius spent most of his time teaching his favorite dance style (contemporary) but had other teachers at the studio teaching jazz and hip hop.

It was a popular studio, even though the upper class moms were often disappointed to find out that the Potter Contemporary Dance Studio offered zero ballet classes. After Mrs. Potter died and could no longer teach, Sirius disbanded the programs. Sirius was no fan of ballet after Mrs. Potter had forced him to be in a multiple company production of _The Nutcracker_ when he was seven. The Sugar Plum Fairy stepped on his foot and sprained it, leaving Sirius bitter for the rest of his life, much to James' amusement.

"Looks like Levinstown Ballet needs some male performers for _Swan Lake_." James told Sirius, handing the flyer to his brother, "Fancy trying out?"

"Fuck that," Sirius jeered, "I can't believe a _pointe_ had the balls to walk into _my_ studio."

" _Our_ studio."

Where Sirius had taken to the theatrical side of the family, James had taken to the business side. Although James danced for fun (as was expected of a Potter) James had more of an apt for numbers and advertisings. As a result of his knack for numbers, James owned fifty percent of the Potter Contemporary Dance Studio. Sirius was apt to forget that fact since he basically lived in the small studio teaching his classes and helping to inspire the artistic youth.

"Yeah, yeah." Sirius grumbled at James' correction as he crumpled the orange flyer and tossed it on the studio floor.

James raised an eyebrow; "You aren't going to tell your students about the open casting call?"

"Absolutely not." Sirius said, "Did you not recognize the bunhead trying to steal my trained artists?"

James took his thick-framed glasses out from his pockets to put them on his face as he retorted skeptically, "I'd say she's a livid ex-girlfriend but I know you'd never willingly shag a ballerina."

Sirius shuddered at the thought, "No," he said determinedly, "That was Sugar Plum."

" _That's_ the pointe who sprained your foot when you were seven?" James laughed and some of the remaining students glanced their way with interest as he did so.

"It's not funny James I couldn't dance for month and fell way behind for training for _So You Think You Can Dance_."

"You still didn't win."

Sirius flicked James the bird, "Get out of here before I kill you."

James danced out of the way of Sirius' swinging foot before reaching down and grabbing the orange flyer. Sirius saw James' swift grab and groaned.

"No," Sirius said quickly as James uncurled the flyer, "You are not going to tell any of my students—I don't want to lose any of them to Levinstown Ballet for three months of practice for fucking _Swan Lake_."

"I wasn't going to tell your students." James told Sirius thoughtfully.

"Really?" Sirius didn't trust James, and for good reason.

"No," James grinned sheepishly, "Because I'm going to try out for it."

Sirius refused to speak to James for three days because he was a 'traitor' for even thinking of trying out for the ballet.

"Come on Sirius," James laughed at Sirius' pointed glares, "It'll be fun!"

"You're contemporary trained!" Sirius argued with James, "Mum didn't make you learn pointe for very long—you probably suck!"

Sirius' cautions fell on deaf ears. James looked up the ballet on YouTube. He studied the way the dancers moved and _yes_ , James wasn't classically trained, but James could extend his foot out a bit more and look not utterly ridiculous. Truth be told, the only reason he was willing to try was because of the possibility of seeing the ballerina again. Not to mention, Sirius' revulsion with James for even trying ballet was entertaining and James was willing to play out the 'traitor' card as long as possibly possible just for laughs.

James arrived an hour early to the ballet studio, expecting to have to wait a while for his turn to audition. Where the Potters' studio was mismatched and improper with lament floors, the ballet studio had shining wooden floors and two levels. The first floor appeared to be a waiting area for parents with kids in the younger classes. James followed some ballerinas up a narrow stairwell to the second floor of the building.

Split in half by nothing but a glass wall, the entire upstairs was wooden floors and harsh white lights. James' mum was raised classically trained and would've died and gone to heaven. James was on the outside of the glass, staring into a crowd of girls in white tutus and sparkling leotards. It seemed that he'd stumbled upon the advanced pointe class. Six girls were prancing about the small studio, their pink satin slippers sliding across a polished wooden floor. He stared through the large window as other girls entered the glass room swiftly. With the glass opened to let the late dancers through, James heard violins drifting from a stereo. The violins raised Goosebumps on his arm as James watched the Pointe's in their sparkling tutus shimmer with their robotic movements.

As the girls formed a perfect line, one of the tall girls in the back caught James' eye. It was Sugar Plum, the one who had stepped on Sirius' foot at age seven. Her red hair gave her away, dividing her from the other blonde and brunette swans prancing elegantly about the room. James' breathe was caught in his throat.

Her feet were drifting her body slightly to the left of everyone else, skimming the ground in a way that made her appear to float. Her fingers were long and stretched out for the sky as her toes balanced her entire body skillfully. He held his breath as she precariously lifted her left foot from the floor so that she balanced on her right toes. She spun quickly, her head snapping back to the mirror in a way to forgo becoming dizzy.

When she stopped her pirouette, her entire body turned towards him. James was entranced instantly by the dark green shadow of her eyes. The ballerina smirked when she noted his figure staring through the window of the ballet studio. James grinned back at her and she seemed to slip for a moment and then she followed the blonde in front of her into a series of leg lifts and kicks.

James took the time she turned away to study her figure. With long legs and incredible arm and leg muscles, James knew the girl was no amateur. Bruises showed on her thighs and James was sure she could possibly be bleeding into the pretty silk slippers on her feet. Ballet was a much more painful version of dancing in James' opinion. Every muscle in a ballerina's body looked tense as they preformed where as James felt loose and giddy when he danced to the latest Halsey song Sirius had picked out.

James never stopped smiling when he danced because he was trained to use his face melodramatically.

In comparison, these ballerinas kept vacant expressions as they twirled about the well-lit studio.

Sugar Plum caught his attention again for that very reason.

Her auburn hair was done up in a tight bun like the others but little baby strands fell from the clips, highlighting the huge smile that never left her face. She was already beautiful with a very round face and skin that seemed to shimmer under the unforgiving studio lights. Her body kept her in balance as she twisted off from the group of girls to preform a Grande Jeté. When her feet rose in the air, the excess ribbon from crisscrossing her ankles fluttered like wings. When she landed from her jump, he could hardly tell there was any impact; she was so light on her feet.

Her long legs kept her in time to the slow music feeding from speakers next to the teacher wearing a purple leotard. The ballerina's green eyes danced along with her feet, never staying in one spot as she moved about the room as if she owned it. It was very clear to James that this woman was not only skilled at her craft, but she was in love with it.

If Sirius wasn't so traumatized by Sugar Plum from _The Nutcracker_ , James was certain Sirius would want to be friends with her.

The music filled with violins ended and the teacher called out to he girls to cool down as a more modern song came on the radio. Behind James, more boys were arriving for the tryouts. Some of the girls behind the glass noticed and were glancing their way. James saw a blonde give him a wink more than once. As Ed Sheeran's smooth voice filtered across the studio, James crossed his arms while the ballerinas continued another dance, this time a more slow centered glide about the studio.

The dance was mostly filled with leg stretching and arm tangling as the girls played with one another. It was clear this was their free time to express themselves. With boys outside watching, the ballerinas did not disappoint. Sugar Plum was holding hands with a brunette and they were twirling each other lightheartedly. While the Pointes danced, the owner of the studio appeared behind the group of boys, clearing her throat. James turned away from Sugar Plum to focus his attention on an old woman wearing a sweater dress.

"You boys are here for my _Swan Lake_ auditions correct?" her voice was husky and she sounded tired, "I require all my men to be able to handle lifts, _tour en l'air_ , and a simple chorography demo."

James had no idea what a _tour en l'air_ was and tried to think back if his mum had ever mentioned it. A couple of the boys raised their hands to ask questions. James stayed silent, better at watching and learning. The ballerinas had started leaving, ogling at the boys listening to the studio owner as they left.

"You will preform all at once and I will cut some of you out as we go."

James caught the curious eye of Sugar Plum as she strolled her way over to stand beside the owner. A boy with a hooked nose smiled and waved at her. Sugar Plum tucked a strand od red hair back into her bun and ignored him. When her green eyes glanced back up they met James' stare and she curved her lips in wonder. James smiled wide. The boy beside James looked at him with suspicion.

"This is my best teaching assistant, Lily." The owner introduced Sugar Plum and the ballerina blushed at the praise, "She will be the ballerina you boys will be lifting, and perhaps dancing with, in the future."

"Hi boys." She said her words confidently and James could sense every straight male in the room falling for her at that very moment.

He rolled his eyes as the boy with a hooked nose said brashly, "Nice to see you again Lily."

Lily turned her green eyes on Hooked Nose kindly, "Yeah," she then turned to the owner, "Are we good to start?"

"You heard her gentleman," The owner clapped her hands, "Get ready to dance."

Some of the boys fought their way to the front of the group but James didn't mind, it would be harder for the old woman to cut him if she couldn't see him. Lily stood in front of the group, guiding them through a bit of choreography that wasn't too hard. James was able to keep up at least. Five boys got sent away immediately but they were all at least two feet shorter than Lily and James had a feeling they needed someone taller to be Lily's partner.

As the boys each preformed the choreography given James watched Hooked Nose sneak his way closer and closer to the front of the class. It looked like Lily was aware of it too. She moved farther away when he got closer. It appeared that he wanted to talk to her and she wanted nothing to do with it.

By some miracle James wasn't cut after choreography was finished but most of the boys had been. During the next round, James only stood next to about ten other boys. James pushed his glasses up his nose as the studio owner explained to them about the lift they needed to show with Lily. It was simple enough, he just had to grasp her waist and lift her elegantly as she spread her legs in a sort of split.

He was picked to go second on this and as Lily walked forward, James was suddenly aware of the sultry look she gave him as she sidled up to his side. Her pale skin seemed to glow like she was a goddess and he was struck by her beauty once again.

"James Potter." He immediately offered a hand and she took it.

"A Potter, eh?" the smirk on her face was too good to be true, "How's your brother's foot?"

He offered her a matching smirk, "The doctors say he'll live."

The bubble of a laugh that escaped her lips would be stuck in his head over the cheesy pop music they had on the radio. Taylor Swift didn't hold a note compared to Sugar Plum Lily. Lily turned to face away from him and he was caught by the way the white lights turned her hair into fire. How Sirius had ever made fun of her hair, James would never know, she was the prettiest ballerina he'd ever seen.

James wrapped his hands around her hips, aware of all the eyes on them. He'd danced with a partner before but he'd never before had to fake how attracted he was to them. James' fingers folded into her stomach softly, feeling the way she breathed softly under his touch only to stop breathing as he set her body in motion. She flew under his touch and James couldn't resist a little flair of a twist as he brought her back down so that Lily's face was turned to his. She landed on her toes so that their eyes were level and she let out a breath.

"You move in your own way." She murmured.

"Mum was a big on teaching us how to dance to the beat of our own drums." He replied.

Like pulling him on strings, Lily leaned back in his arms so that he tilted forward with her. One step back, he matched her, and she smirked perceptively. He loved the way her cheeks lit pink and he couldn't resist twisting her from his arms in a melodramatic way. Everyone was staring, the studio owner included.

"He's great." Lily was still blushing as she sent James one last look before moving on to the boy with the hooked nose.

"Hey Lily," The boy said a little more eagerly, "I can't wait for us to dance together again."

James frowned, _who was this kid?_

The studio owner seemed to know, "You both did _The Nutcracker_ together, didn't you?"

"That was ages ago." Lily said somewhat coldly, "You like to remind me quite often, Snape."

The boy (Snape?) shook as he lifted her, his pallid arms struggling to get her higher. Lily's feet lifted effortlessly into the air before she landed back on the floor. She didn't even thank Snape as she moved onto the next person. James quirked an eyebrow, wondering what beef she had for the creepy boy. Besides being clearly in love with her, he wasn't too bad of a dancer.

During a water break, the studio owner herself stopped to talk to James by the water fountain. She introduced herself as Minerva and had a grip James would hate to fight.

She waved her hands at all of James, "So, what do you dance nomally?"

"Contemporary." James shrugged, "Mostly for theater."

Minerva tilted her head, "Your mother was talented of course, I trained with her, you see," she added at James' questioning look, "She didn't like to play by the rules of classical ballet and left our company to open her own studio." She added, "I was very sorry to hear of her passing."

"Thank you." James smiled, "We miss her very much."

"She would be proud to see how unique you are while dancing." Minerva said, "You take after her."

"Not as much as my brother," James replied, "He's the real professional."

"He didn't want to try out for my production?" Minerva asked knowingly, a glint in her grey eyes.

James laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to tell the old woman that Sirius compared ballet to ' _literal death_ ' the night before. James was certain Sirius was being dramatic, but Sirius wasn't Sirius without the hysterics. Luckily, James didn't have to describe Sirius' animosity for ballet because Lily appeared at the water fountain. James stepped away to give her access to the water but it seemed she'd only come over to speak with him.

Her eyes sneakily glanced over his thin frame with amusement, "You don't _look_ like a dancer."

James contradicted humorously, "And _you_ don't look like someone who'd intentionally break someone's foot."

She leaned on her tiptoes towards James, "Oh please, it was a _sprain_."

"He blames you for all his misfortunes you know."

Lily rolled her eyes, "He's the owner of the top contemporary studio in England."

James crossed his arms, " _Co_ -owner, thank you very much."

"You know, I purposely go by the studio to mess with him."

"You pissed him off when you showed up with your flyer the other day."

"Mission accomplished." And then her little smile returned.

"Do you two know each other?" Minerva glanced between them.

Lily jutted her thumb at James spiritedly; "His brother is the one who made fun of my hair during dress rehearsals for _The Nutcracker_."

"Ah," Minerva now seemed amused, "Your brother is infamous around here for dancing on a sprained ankle the entire weekend until curtains closed."

"He was determined to not let the sugar plum fairy win." James cracked and they all laughed.

A sparkle appeared in Lily's clever eyes when their eyes united again. She pressed her fingers against her skirt, nervously fingering the light fabric despite the proud look she sported. James pushed his glasses up his nose in hesitation. Lily took a deep breath before offering a compliment.

"I think you dance as well as your brother."

"At seven?"

"No." she punched his arm playfully, "I think you both are great dancers _now_. I saw you both when I put the flyer up."

"So you're the reason he's here." Minerva looked at Lily who colored from being caught.

"Perfect." A new voice entered angrily, "May I get some water now?"

James, Lily, and Minerva all turned to see the boy with the hooked nose and black hair trying to get water. James immediately departed, following in Lily's trail. They didn't speak again until they were out of earshot of the studio owner.

"Well," he said, "I think I can't honestly say I never imagined I'd get this far into the audition."

"Minerva loved your mum," Lily explained as they entered the main studio where the rest of the boys sat waiting to finish tryouts, "Coincidently she heard you say your last name early on and put you at the top of the list."

"My mum would be surprised to hear someone in the classical ballet world loved her." James told Lily, "She was always saying they kicked her out because she couldn't follow the rules." He offered Lily a wink, "And I can't either."

"Ballet isn't as robotic as it used to be." Lily stretched for her toes as they spoke, "No doubt having you in our company would be great and teach some of these dancers to lighten up."

James' heart jumped at the thought of dancing with Lily. James didn't need to see the curve of her lips to know she was pleased, the color on her cheeks told him all that he needed to know.

"Lily." Hooked nose boy was back and James resisted the urge to moan and roll his eyes.

"Hullo," Lily offered the boy politely before motioning to James, "James this is Severus Snape."

James didn't hold out his hand because the boy didn't even glance his way. Instead the boy kept his black eyes trained on Lily.

"I saw you dancing on West End over the summer." Snape told Lily, "You were great."

"James does contemporary dance like they've started to do on West End," Lily nodded to James, as if eager to get the topic off herself, "Have you ever danced on West End, James?"

"No but my brother ha—"

"I can't wait to put on _Swan Lake_ for the community." Snape cut James off, "Classical dance will always be the best style, right Lily?"

Pissed that Snape wouldn't let him talk, James interrupted, "Classical dance is being replaced by contemporary dance because contemporary combines all the admired dance styles together."

"Be that as it may, contemporary dancers have _no place_ in a classical ballet like _Swan Lake_." Snape finally snapped at James, "You probably don't know a barre from a pub."

"At least I don't look like a greasy haired android when I dance." James countered, "Tell me, when was the last time you washed your hair?"

Snape was red in the face; " _You_ looked ridiculous when you let Lily down from her lift. She's a human, not a rag doll you just toss around."

Lily raised her eyebrows at them both, "Can we—"

James mocked, "At least I was able to lift Lily."

"Lily would never choose to _willingly_ dance with you." Snape growled, "She's way better than you. She could dance _circles_ around you."

James decided to be difficult; "Lily can dance circles around me _whenever_ she likes, as long as you aren't invited."

Snape's fists curled and Lily, sensing tension, intervened despite sending James a sassy look for his comment. James noticed that she didn't dispute his snarky innuendo.

"We're all dancers." Lily stepped in-between the feuding boys, "We should support each other no matter our preferred style."

"Even if contemporary is cooler." James mumbled.

Lily sighed and scowled at James, "Don't make me kick you both out of here."

Snape huffed, spinning on his heel in a less elegant way than one would perceive for a dancer. Lily stared after the boy before turning back to James. Her fingers were tapping against her arm melodically. James knew he probably should've argued with Snape, but something about the boy just set him off.

"Sorry." James mumbled, "That was—"

"Childish." Lily finished for him, "Yeah. I'd say so."

James watched as she walked over to Minerva who was setting up the speakers to finish the tryouts. The boys were ordered to finish their audition with a _tour en l'air._ Lucky for James, Lily picked Snape to go first so he could figure out exactly what they were asking for. Snape got his feet into the proper position and James memorized the way his feet were turned. Finally Snape pointing his left foot before pressing against the wooden slats and jumping into the air, spinning twice before landing on his feet.

"A double _tour en l'air_." Minerva seemed impressed, "Nice job Mr. Snape."

Lily's eyes met with James' as if to ask him to please attempt something just as good. The other boys went, leaving James to complete the challenge last. James imagined the hardest part would be keeping his body as tight as the other boys had kept theirs. Sirius always complained that James was like a freshly born baby giraffe with his arms sometimes. James couldn't help that he got his mums long arms while Sirius took after their father and was a little shorter.

James got to the center of the room and took a deep breath, placing his feet in fifth position (if he remembered the name correctly). James kept his eyes' trained on Lily by the glass. She was watching him expectantly. He bent his long legs and then jumped, spinning quickly in the air. When he landed his feet were a bit too far apart so he dragged them back together before bowing. When he left his head he ruffled his hair and stepped out of position to beam at the red haired ballerina, she was beaming back.

"I'll have the results tomorrow night." Minerva told everyone as they prepared to leave, "Please leave your numbers so Lily can text you."

They provided them all with pieces of paper. James wrote down his mobile number and an extra note for Lily, thanking her for the laughs, before handing the paper off to Minvera. The old studio owner clasped his shoulder kindly before he left.

"You look just like your mother." The woman said kindly.

James tipped his hat at the old woman before stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking down the steps to the first floor. Lily was by the check in desk. Her eyes met James' as he walked outside into the cold. She mouthed a goodbye as she picked up a little girl in a pink leotard begging for her attention. It seemed she had a class of little Sugar Plums to teach.

James walked outside, the cold January air hitting him through his coat when a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. James turned his head to see it was Lily, standing outside in nothing but her tutu.

"You'll catch your death out here."

"Thank you for my note," she raised his scribbled number and note in the hair between them.

James unwrapped his scarf from around his neck and put it about her shoulders. Lily hugged the wool closer to her figure as she stared up at him.

"I'm sorry I was a prat with your mate." James apologized out loud.

Lily shrugged and took a step away, "He's not my mate." She whispered, "But thanks."

"It was great dancing with you." He offered next.

She leaned on her tiptoes, "We'll make a _danseur_ of you yet." As she skipped backwards towards the warmth of the studio her green eyes lit up like Christmas lights, "Goodnight James."

James smiled all the way home.

Of course Sirius was waiting for James. He sat at their small kitchen table going over dancing videos from his students when James entered the kitchen to grab a cuppa and some chips. Sirius' hair was wrapped in a bun again, pencils sticking from the hair. A notepad sat on the table and James could just make out Sirius' messy scrawl.

"How were auditions, traitor?" Sirius asked without looking up from his video.

"I made it to the final round." James leaned against the counter, "And danced with your arch nemesis."

Sirius hit pause and looked at James in shock, "Sugar Plum was _there_?"

"Even worse," James laughed, "She _complimented_ you."

Sirius muttered darkly, "What a bitch."

"You'd like her actually." James responded even though he could already see Sirius' resolve slipping now that he knows Lily was serving up compliments, "She's a great dancer."

"She a _pointe_." Sirius said doubtfully, "Ballerina's are conceited twirlers with a taste for violence."

"I'm surprised you don't like them considering you're just as conceited." James jested, ducking when Sirius chucked one of his many hair pencils in the direction of the countertops, "And violent." James added, picking up the chucked pencil.

"And you're brainwashed." Sirius countered, "One look at Sugar Plum and you're ready to join the bloody pointe circus."

"It's just _Swan Lake_."

"I hope they cast you as the evil dude." Sirius said bitterly.

James snorted and bit into a crisp, "That roll already seems to have the perfect player."

"Sugar Plum?"

"No," James said, "Some bloke named Snape."

Immediately Sirius' back went rigid and he shut his laptop, "What?"

James tilted his head, "Know him?"

"Of course I do," Sirius looked annoyed, "In school he used to make fun of me with his arsehole mates for dancing and come to find out when we both auditioned for _Britain's Got Talent_ he danced fucking ballet."

James twisted his mouth into a frown, "He went to school with us?"

Sirius didn't seemed surprised by James' cluelessness, "He hung out with Mulciber."

"Ah." James wasn't a fan of the stoners who sat in the back of the classroom and chucked notes at James' sickly friend Remus.

They were quiet once more and Sirius opened his laptop again. James hated anyone in school who made fun of his brother or their friends. James had been quite popular among peers in school thanks to his football skills, other than that though he surrounded himself with only a few friends. Sirius, brother bonds aside, was James' best friend. Anyone who picked on Sirius got introduced to James' fists.

James remembered how Lily had said Snape danced with her in _The Nutcracker_ at some point.

"Snape knew Lily."

"Whose Lily?" Sirius looked up from his laptop again.

"Sugar Plum," James reminded Sirius, "Her name is Lily. Apparently she and Snape danced together and he has a huge crush on her."

"Who would crush on a skinny brat like Sugar Plum?"

"Trust me." James said, painfully remembering his hands around her waist and the way her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, "She's not a skinny brat anymore."

Sirius barked a laugh at James' tone and James flushed, "James, you fancy her!" he looked ecstatic, "Oh this is fucking great, you fancy a _pointe_!"

James rolled his eyes, trying to act nonchalant, "I mean did you _see_ her?"

"I try not to look." Sirius said honestly, a toothy grin replacing his laugh, "You know, dancers have amazing sex together."

James turned himself away from Sirius to grab a glass of water, "She's fucking gorgeous." James replied, "And I was a git when Snape provoked me so I doubt anything will happen now."

"Sugar Plum won't be able to resist," Sirius countered, "you're a straight man who dances confidently so she'd probably marry you if you gave her the chance."

Before James could argue his phone buzzed on the counter and he grabbed it hastily. It was from Remus, asking if they were still on for cards on Saturday. James dropped the phone in disappointment, an action Sirius didn't miss. James spent the rest of the night looking up different versions of _Swan Lake_. There were contemporary mixes, which were great, but he found himself drawn back to the classical versions of the story. By the time he'd fallen asleep James imagined himself the love-struck Prince and Lily the Swan Princess.

The next morning James was chugging coffee as she paid the studio bills while Sirius taught hip-hop with his favorite teacher Marlene McKinnon. They were both screaming at each other to turn the music down—but it only got louder. The walls of the studio bounced as hip-hop raged on. James watched from the desk, happy to see Eric Michel was back after taking a leave for a tour in Afghanistan with the British Navy.

The day went on with no texts from Lily and James wondered if they'd picked Snape to dance alongside her. He had more history, even if James thought he had no passion.

Sirius left the studio around noon to get lunch with some members of Marlene's hip-hop class. The studio was peaceful so James got off his desk chair and moved onto the dance floor. James flicked the switch on the stereo and flipped through Sirius' ipod until he found a suitable playlist. The music was bubbly, exaggerated, and easy to let his arms follow.

James took off his shirt, feeling more open without one on. The music could push and pull at James' muscles like the ocean pushed and pulled sand on the shore; it owned him. James' favorite style of all was actually tap dance. Mrs. Potter had said it was James' love for noise that drew him to the dance style. Either way, it came out when he was dancing.

James was so caught up in the lyrics pumping form the stereo he missed the bell of someone entering the studio. He was stretching his legs, throwing himself to the floor and back up again with a single throw when a flash of red crossed his vision. James halted, his chest heaving as green eyes met hazel.

Lily stood in the doorway of the dance floor, mouth slightly agape as she stared at him. James coughed and straightened his glasses, conscious of the fact that he was not wearing a shirt. James jumped over to the stereo and turned the music off. Lily swallowed and then stepped farther into the room, her flat shoes echoing off the plastic floors. She wore leggings and a thick woolen sweater that fell off her left shoulder with a blue leotard peeking out from underneath.

"Hi." He inhaled, struggling to relax.

"How did you do that?" was her instant reply.

"Do what?" he put his hands on his hips, aware of her eyes following his hands.

Lily's eyes shot up as she placed her bag on the floor. James watched as she struggled to slide into a half split and she leaned back so her spine hit the floor and he red hair fanned out around her shoulders like a halo. Lily tried to jump back up but she slipped on her back foot and used her hands to catch herself. She looked up at James in confusion.

" _How_?"

James smiled at the demand in her voice and dropped to the floor again.

He pointed at his stomach while she watched with concentration, "Use your abs, suck 'em in and then pull yourself up onto one foot. You're strong enough with those pointe toes."

He demonstrated, pulling himself back up to standing on one foot. Lily mimicked his movements and accomplished it the second time. Her eyes lit up as she radiated joy from dancing.

"I've never danced laying down before." And then she flushed, "I mean I _have_ danced but not like this... _hell_ —"

"What are you doing here?" he changed the subject, "Sirius isn't around for you to bug."

"Shame." Lily said without actually looking sad, "But I'm actually here for you."

"Me?" James crossed his arms over he chest and stared at her.

"Minerva and I want you to be in our production of _Swan Lake_." Lily stepped towards him, "We want it to have a bit of a contemporary feel."

"Snape won't be happy." James said smartly, glancing at their feet.

Lily's eyes flashed, "Snape can go fuck himself."

James licked his lips and grinned, "Feisty."

"Snape can't decide when dance is cool or not."

James asked curiously, "You don't like him either, eh?"

Lily huffed with annoyance; "Long story short, he was my best friend when we were kids until his mates made fun of me for doing ballet."

"Sounds familiar." James said, thinking of Sirius.

Lily stuck her nose in the air angrily, "Yeah, so the bastard refused to admit he danced with me in front of them but wanted to act peachy when we were dancing."

"You and Sirius have a lot in common." At her puzzled look he explained, "Snape and his mates used to make fun of Sirius for dancing."

"Not you?" she suspected.

James shrugged, "I played football."

Lily stood on her tiptoes animatedly, "You dance _and_ you play football?"

James ruffled his hair anxiously, "Is that problem?"

"No." she shook her head briefly, eyes wide and alluring, "Quite the opposite of a problem really, since you keep getting more and more attractive with each passing minute if I'm being honest."

James snickered and moved closer to her so he could place a hand on her waist, "So just to be clear," he looked down at her face, gazing up at his, "You _don't_ want to dance with Snape?"

Lily reached up, pushing his glasses up his nose for him, "Well," she caught him off guard as her fingers traced his jaw, "I was rather hoping I'd get to dance circles around _you_ day and night."

"You can dance with me however you like." James quipped, "But you'll have to teach me some more ballet."

"Let's start out nice and slow," Lily closed her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair, "Like an _adagio_."

James pressed her small form into his chest, "What's that mean?"

Lily smirked and guided his hands up her waist and above their heads slowly. She turned, leaning into his body and moving keenly as he dragged his fingers down her arm so that the woolen sweater bunched at her elbow. Lily leaned her head back against his chest in response to his hands sliding down her body. James tried to spin her once his hands were on her waist so that Lily was facing him again but she just laughed and twirled out of his reach effectively.

James stepped forward, his hands reaching out for her waist again and she danced vainly out of his reach. He knelt on one knee, like he'd seen in one of the many YouTube versions of _Swan Lake_ that he'd watched. Lily found his movement endearing and moved close again, reaching out her hand for his own. James stood up and moved closer to her outstretched hand.

"Adagio," she said methodically as his fingertips brushed hers, "creates the illusion."

"What allusion?" James' pinky wrapped around hers and James pulled Lily slowly back towards him, her feet taking their sweet time.

"The allusion that the ballet positions flow," Lily responded as James let go of Lily's hand only to place his fingers under her chin so as to angle her face up to his, "from one movement, _into another_."

Lily pressed her lips delicately against his own and James no longer had any need to continue learning ballet terms because he was too wrapped up kissing the ballerina who was supposed to be teaching him.

 


End file.
